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• OpenAI has introduced a new search function to its language model, ChatGPT, entering the search engine market.
• The ChatGPT search provides fast answers to user queries with links to relevant web sources.
• OpenAI's entry into the search engine market is significant, considering Google's dominance.
• Despite some challenges, OpenAI's move has been well-received and marks a significant step in the AI industry.

OpenAI, the artificial intelligence giant, has recently introduced a new search function to its widely used large language model, ChatGPT. This move marks the company's entry into a domain that has long been dominated by Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. The new feature also puts OpenAI in direct competition with Microsoft's Bing and emerging services like Perplexity, an AI chatbot firm backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and semiconductor giant Nvidia.

The new search function, known as ChatGPT search, is designed to provide fast, timely answers to user queries, complete with links to relevant web sources. The search model is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o, and all ChatGPT Plus and Team users were given access to it on the day of the announcement. Enterprise and educational customers will gain access to the features in the coming weeks, and it will be rolled out to free users over the next few months.

OpenAI has been actively collaborating with the news industry and has signed content deals with several publishers this year, including Condé Nast, Time magazine, the Financial Times, Business Insider-owner Axel Springer, France's Le Monde, and Spain's Prisa Media.

ChatGPT's Integrated Web Search Feature

The new integrated web search feature is designed to deliver fast and timely answers directly within the chat interface. This enhancement allows users to ask questions in a natural, conversational manner while receiving links to relevant and credible sources, eliminating the need for multiple searches or going to a search engine. The search feature is available on chatgpt.com and across desktop and mobile apps.

The upgrade to ChatGPT enables the AI chatbot to provide up-to-date sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more information with direct links to relevant web sources. Users can manually choose to search by clicking the web search icon, or ChatGPT will choose to search the web based on the user's query.

OpenAI's entry into the search engine market is significant, considering Google's dominance with a 91.1% share as of June, according to web analytics firm Statcounter. However, Google's search results have been criticized for not always being relevant or helpful. In contrast, OpenAI's ChatGPT search aims to provide more relevant and timely information.

Challenges and Reception

Despite the competition, OpenAI's move has been well-received by some users. Sam Altman, the startup's leader, shared on Twitter that the new feature has doubled his usage over the past few weeks. However, some publishers have protested AI-generated overviews like ChatGPT Search and Google's AI Overviews, saying that they threaten to cannibalize traffic to the sites from which they source their information.

OpenAI's venture into the search engine market is not without challenges. Some newspapers, including The New York Times, have sued OpenAI for infringing on the copyright of their content. Meanwhile, other media groups see allying with OpenAI as a valuable business strategy in an era of proliferating generative AI.